AI Usage
Effective Last updated
Cleft uses AI to turn what you say into structured notes. This page explains exactly where that happens, what leaves your device and what does not, and the controls you have. It restates, in one place, the AI substance of our Privacy Policy and vendor transparency page. Consistent with our current Privacy Policy.
- Your voice is transcribed on your device. Audio is never sent to a server.
- Only note text, never audio, is sent for optional cloud formatting.
- We never train AI on your data, and our providers are contractually barred from doing so.
- Cloud AI features are opt-in. You choose when, and you can turn them off.
- No automated decisions are made about you. AI shapes your notes, not your account.
The two stages of AI in Cleft
Cleft runs AI in two distinct stages. They are separate on purpose: the sensitive part (your voice) never leaves your device, and the part that can use the cloud only ever sees text you have already chosen to process.
Stage one: transcription, on your device
When you record, Cleft transcribes your audio using the Whisper speech model running entirely on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This happens on-device, offline, with no external AI service calls. Your audio is never sent to our servers or to any third party. Temporary audio files are deleted after a successful transcription unless you turn on Keep Audio.
Stage two: formatting, optional and in the cloud
Turning a raw transcript into a clean, structured note (summaries, headings, tidy formatting, and any custom instructions you set) uses a large language model. For this step Cleft sends transcript text only, never your audio, to a provider: OpenAI (primary) or Groq (a faster backup for reliability). The full, always-current list of AI providers is on our vendor transparency page.
This stage is opt-in. Under GDPR we rely on your consent (Article 6(1)(a)) for cloud LLM summaries, the same as for other optional features. You can use Cleft for on-device transcription alone and never invoke the cloud formatting step.
What we send, and what we never send
- Sent (only when you use cloud formatting): the text of your transcript, plus any custom instructions you have written.
- Never sent: your audio recordings. Voice stays on your device.
- Never used for training: we never train AI on your data, and our providers are bound by Data Processing Agreements (with Standard Contractual Clauses for US transfers) that prohibit training on your content.
No automated decisions about you
Cleft’s AI shapes your notes. It does not make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you, and we do not profile you (GDPR Article 22). There is no scoring, ranking, or eligibility logic applied to you as a person.
Your controls
- Keep transcription local. Use on-device Whisper and skip cloud formatting entirely.
- Custom instructions. When you do use cloud formatting, you decide how your notes are shaped.
- Keep Audio is off by default. Temporary audio is deleted after transcription unless you choose otherwise.
- Access, export, and delete. Your notes, transcripts, and audio are portable and removable at any time, the same rights set out in the Privacy Policy.
Questions
For anything about how Cleft uses AI, email privacy@cleftnotes.com or our Data Protection Officer at dpo@cleftnotes.com. For the full picture, see our Privacy Policy, vendor transparency page, and Trust Center.